Digital Single Market

DSM blog post

11 June 2013

Secure cyberspace – is it a safe place?

Despite all efforts put in place, cyberspace still remains subject to threats and insecurity. The reflection on policies requires a wide-breath approach, taking into account both technical aspects and cultural ones.

Published 11 June 2013

Updated 16 March 2016

It is hard to imagine a human activity that is not somehow reflected online or at assisted with technology. With our lives being mirrored in social networks, transactions we do online, results of our creativity being stored in the cloud, we all agree that there must be reliable systems put in place that make all these secure. For today’s technology systems, security is ‘the new black’.

Providers of ICT solutions and services put a lot of effort and resources in creating reliable systems that make cyberspace secure. But with all the systems in place, is secure cyberspace a safe cyberspace? It is not if the responsibility for securing safety of operations does not go hand in hand with the responsibility of users. Are we creating real opportunities for better understanding of how to behave responsibly online, so that users are more aware of threats and ways to prevent them?

It is not if the security measures are not balanced with another great challenge – a need for securing rights to privacy. Preventing malicious attacks to access private data is one thing; the other is the fact that providers of cloud services for example store massive amounts of data and learn a lot about users and their behaviors. Are we making sure that the security claims are well balanced with concerns about privacy protection?

It is not if policy makers do not take into account many objectives: innovation-friendly frameworks, market growth, users’ rights and technological progress. In order to profoundly understand those objectives, they need to create framework for broad societal dialogue where all concerns are openly voiced and solutions are collectively sought. Are we satisfied with the debate that feeds into policy making in this field?

The workshop Building an open, safe and secure cyberspace[1], that will take place on next 19th June, in Dublin, will address these questions in search for scenarios and solutions particularly in the morning session. Representatives of business, policy makers and citizens will engage in a much-sought dialog on making the secure cyberspace a safe place for all the actors. Only joint efforts from all stakeholders will make Digital Agenda for Europe happen, and the debate is open also to you. You can join the online Community[2] dedicated to the workshop, or tweet, using #da13trustsec.